18th & 19th May Current Affair

1. Ayush Anudan Portal

Ayush Anudan Portal to Ensure Transparency, Efficiency and Accountability

Portal Marks Major Step Towards Digitally Empowered and Transparent Ayush Ecosystem

The portal is developed by the Ministry of Ayush under the Ayush Grid initiative marking a major milestone in streamlining the submission, processing, approval, and monitoring of funding proposals under various Central Sector Schemes of the Ministry.

2. A High-Level Review Meeting of Project Cheetah Was Held on 19th May

Project Cheetah is a pioneering initiative aimed at reintroducing the cheetah in India after its extinction in the country. The programme was initiated through the translocation of a founder population of 20 cheetahs from Namibia and South Africa, which was further supplemented by 9 cheetahs from Botswana.

challenges associated with wildlife translocation. The current population stands at 53 cheetahs, of which 33 are Indian-born.

Kuno National Park has been developed as the primary site for establishment of the population, while Gandhisagar Wildlife Sanctuary has been prepared as an additional habitat to support further expansion.

Project Cheetah

India launched Project Cheetah in 2022 to reintroduce cheetahs, extinct in the country for over 70 years.

Operated under Project Tiger, Project Cheetah is the world’s first intercontinental large wild carnivore translocation project and implements the Cheetah Action Plan.

The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA),implements Project Cheetah inwith the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department, and Wildlife Institute of India

3. The 79th World Health Assembly is convening in Geneva

The 79th World Health Assembly (WHA79) convened in Geneva, Switzerland, from May 18 to 23, 2026.

Theme, “Reshaping Global Health: A Shared Responsibility.

The Union Health Minister highlighted India’s accelerated progress towards Universal Health Coverage:

Established over 1,85,000 Ayushman Arogya Mandirsto provide comprehensive primary healthcare services closer to communities

Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission creating over 880 million unique digital health identities

Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, the world’s largest public health assurance scheme, covering nearly 600 million beneficiaries

COVID-19 pandemic, he stated that under the Vaccine Maitri initiative, India supplied nearly 300 million vaccine doses to around 100 countries,

India’s role as the “Pharmacy of the World,”

The World Health Assembly

The World Health Assembly is the decision-making body of WHO.

It is attended by delegations from all WHO Member States and focuses on a specific health agenda prepared by the Executive Board.

The main functions of the World Health Assembly are to determine the policies of the Organization, appoint the Director-General, supervise financial policies, and review and approve the proposed programme budget.

The Health Assembly is held annually in Geneva, Switzerland

4India Targets $1 Trillion Exports This Year

India Targets $1 Trillion Exports This Year, $2 Trillion in Five Years: Union Commerce and Industry Minister Shri Piyush Goyal,that this would be the true hallmark of an Atmanirbhar Bharat

Exports Target is a National Mission; FTAs with Nearly 38 Developed Countries to Boost Market Access

Addressing the website launch ceremony of Bharatiya Vyapar Mahotsav in New Delhi, he said exports this year have reached 863 billion dollars

Bharatiya Vyapar Mahotsav (BVM) 2026

India's largest Make-In-India multi-sectoral trade expo — is designed to bring together India's diverse business ecosystem under one roof, connecting traders, MSMEs, manufacturers, industry leaders, institutions, and policymakers from across the country

8 dedicated zones covering every facet of Indian business and culture

Lead Organizing Authority of BVM

India Trade Promotion Organisation ( ITPO )

Established in 1972, India Trade Promotion Organisation has been at the forefront of promoting trade and commerce in India. Operating under the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India, ITPO is headquartered at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi

5. India Retains No1 Spot in World T20 Rankings

India has retained its position at the top of the ICC Men’s T20I rankings, showcasing their dominance in the cricketing world.

India had created history by becoming the first team to successfully defend their T20 World Cup title and also win it for a record-extending third time in March.

With this achievement, India continue to hold the top position in the rankings, with 275 rating points. England are second with 262 points, while Australia are close behind on 258.

According to the International Cricket Council, the latest rankings evaluate matches played from May 2025 at full value, while those from the past two years carry a 50% weight

6. One Nation, One Election’ can save nearly 7 lakh crore rupees

The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on ‘One Nation, One Election’ has said that simultaneous Lok Sabha, Assembly and local body elections can save nearly 7 lakh crore rupees, improve governance efficiency and increase India’s GDP growth by up to 1.6 per cent.

JPC Chairperson and Lok Sabha MP P. P. Chaudhary made these remarks while addressing a press conference

Mr Chaudhary said that Prime Ministerchad constituted an eight-member committee under former President Ram Nath Kovind to examine the proposal.

According to him, the committee spent around 186 days preparing its report before the matter was referred to the JPC.

He said the committee’s recommendations propose synchronising Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, followed by Panchayat and Municipality polls within 100 days.

Members of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on the Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill, 2024 and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024

The JPC has a total of 39 members, including 27 MPs from the Lok Sabha and 12 from the Rajya Sabha, apart from the Chairperson

7. SMILE Mission

SMILE (Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer) is a joint ESA (European Space Agency) and Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) mission.

It will study the interaction of the solar wind with the Earth’s magnetosphere and ionosphere

Aim: It aims to capture the first X-ray images of Earth’s protective magnetic shield in action as it battles and deflects harmful charged particles and energies coming from the Sun.

It will be positioned at about 1.21 lakh km above Earth’s north pole and be able to observe the edge of the magnetosphere in its entirety.

Mission Life: SMILE weighs about 2,600 kg and has a mission life of about three years.

Instruments: The mission is carrying four scientific instruments,

ESA has developed the Soft X-ray Imager (SXI), whereas the Chinese team has developed the other three payloads — Magnetometer, Light Ion Analyser (LIA) and Ultraviolet aurora Imager (UVI).

The four instruments will operate both on X-ray and ultraviolet wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum.All these payloads will use remote sensing and make in situ (on site) observations along the near-Earth regions.

Significance of SMILE Mission

It is designed to answer the interaction of a stream of solar wind with Earth’s magnetic shield and the magnetic glitches occurring on the dark side of Earth.

It will help solar physicists better understand space weather.

It will also help forecasting any impending solar storm or likely perturbations to space weather